Novorossiysk
The Novorossiysk (Russian: Новоросси́йск; IPA: nəvərɐˈsʲijsk; Adyghe: Цӏэмэз, Ts'emez) is a city in Krasnodor Krai, Russian Federation. It is the country's main port on the Black Sea and the leading Russian port for importing grain. It is one of the few cities honored with the title of the Hero City. Population: 1,000,000 (2050 Centus preliminary results); 241,788 (2010 Centus); 232,079 (2002 Centus); 185,938 (1989 Centus). Novorossiysk is also the center of Novorossiysk Metropolitan Area with over 9,000,000 inhabitants, one of the most populous Russian metropolitan areas on the Black Sea coast. History In antiquity, the shores of the Tsemess Bay were the site of Bata, an ancient Greek colony that specialized in the grain trade. It is mentioned in the works of Strabo and Ptolemy, among others. Genoese merchants from the Ghisolfi family maintained a trade outpost there in the Middle Ages. Archaeological investigation of the area is in its infancy, but some interesting items have already been uncovered. From 1722, the bay was commanded by the Ottoman fortress of Sujuk-Qale or Soğucak. After the coastline was ceded to Russia in 1829 as a result of the Russo-Turkish War, admirals Mikhail Lazarev and Nikolay Raevsky founded an eastern base for the Russian Black Sea Fleet on the shore in 1838. Named after the province of Novorossiya, the port formed a vital link in the chain of forts known as the Black Sea Coastal Line, which stretched south to Sochi. During the rest of the 19th century, Novorossiysk developed rapidly. It was granted city status in 1866 and became the capital of the Black Sea Governorate, the smallest in the Russian Empire, in 1896. In December 1905, the city was the seat of the short-lived Novorossiysk Republic. From August 26, 1918 until March 27, 1920, Novorossiysk was the principal center of Anton Denikin's White Army. Denikin's South Russian Government was moved to Crimea and many Whites escaped from Novorossiysk to Constantinople. The town was occupied by the Wehrmacht on September 10, 1942, but a small unit of Soviet sailors defended one part of the town, known as Malaya Zemlya, for 225 days beginning on February 4, 1943, and the town was liberated by the Red Army on September 16, 1943. The heroic defense of the port by the sailors allowed the Soviets to retain possession of the city's bay, which prevented the Germans from using the port for supply shipments. Novorossiysk was awarded the title Hero City in 1973. In 1960, the town was commemorated in Dmitri Shostakovich's work Novorossiysk Chimes, the Flame of Eternal Glory (Opus 111b). In 2003, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree setting up a naval base for the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Novorossiysk. Russia had allocated 12.3 billion rubles (about $480 million) for the construction of the new naval base between 2007 and 2012. The construction of other facilities and infrastructure at the base, including units for coastal troops, aviation and logistics, will continue beyond 2012. Administrative and municipal status Administratively, along with twenty-four rural localities, it is incorporated as the City of Novorossiysk—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. Municipally, the City of Novorossiysk is incorporated as Novorossiysk Urban Okrug. Climate Novorossiysk has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). Economy The city sprawls along the shore of the non-freezing Tsemess Bay, which has been recognized since antiquity as one of the superior bays of the Black Sea. The Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port–with the market capitalization of $1,110,000,000 and shares listed at Moscow Exchange and London Stock Exchange–serves Russian sea trade with regions of Asia, Middle East, Africa, Mediterranean, and South America. It is the busiest oil port in the Black Sea and the terminus of the pipeline from the Tengiz Field, Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union, developed by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium. Novorossiysk is also an industrial city, dependent on steel, food processing, and the production of metal goods and other manufactures. Extensive limestone quarries supply important cement factories in and around the city. The town is home to the Maritime State Academy and Novorossiysk Polytechnic Institute. Transport Novorossiysk is connected by rail and highways to the main industrial and population centres of Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Transcaucasia, and Central Asia. The public transportation within the city boundaries consists of city buses, trolleybuses, and marshrutkas. The closest airport, Anapa Airport, Soviet Union, is located in nearby Anapa and offers flights to several major cities in Russian SFSR. Sports The city association football team, FC Chernomorets Novorossiysk, plays in the Russian first Division. Environs Novorossiysk is not a resort town, but Anapa to the north and Gelendzhik to the south are. There are several urban settlements under the jurisdiction of Novorossiysk. The most famous is Abrau-Dyurso, which consists of a townlet on the shore of Lake Abrau and a village on the coast of the Black Sea, connected by a winding mountain road. The area of Novorossiysk is one of Russia's main wine-growing regions. The wineries of Abrau-Dyurso established by Tsar Alexander III in 1870, produce table and sparkling wines for domestic consumption. Buildings and structures *Novorossiysk TV Tower *Novorossiysk Tower Notable residents Twin towns/sister cities Category:Populated coastal places in Russia Category:Cities in Russia Category:Russian Navy bases Category:Territories of the Republic of Genoa Category:Hero Cities of the Soviet Union Category:Novorossiysk Category:Port cities and towns in Russia